Memories and Lies
by Spot an Appaloosa
Summary: SEQUEL to Truth and Denial. Jack is struggling to get his life back to normal. The horrifying experiences have left deep marks on him, but Kim his best friend and true love is there to help him out. Everything seems to go pretty well until strange things are starting to happen around them. Jack's paranoia is growing, making it hard for him to tell if the things are real or not.
1. Going Back to School

**AN/ It's finally here! The first chapter to Memories and Lies. So sorry for taking so long. Have been experiencing my first writers block, even though I have the plot all sorted out, I just couldn't seem to find a good way to start this story...**

**This is the sequel to my first story Truth and Denial and for this story to make sense you should read Truth and Denial first.**

**Hope you'll gonna like this one. It has it's own plot but has the same drama, action and intensity that Truth and Denial has...**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin' it.**

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Chapter 1

**Coming Back to School**

The hallway went quiet. It was as if everything around us had frozen in time. Three girls had stopped mid-sentence as they'd been filling each other in with the latest gossip. Randy with the rest of the skater dudes had their mouths dropped open. The bully about to put a geek in the trashcan had stopped on the spot and was now holding the just as paralysed victim under his arm. Even Mrs Palm had stopped in her tracks. Everyone's attention was on…_me._

"I can't do this…" I mumbled, thinking out loud, before I attempted to turn around and walk out of there. A hand grabbed my arm though, preventing me from leaving. I turned my gaze to the blond next to me. Kim gave me a reassuring smile and slid her hand into mine.

"It's okay." She said so quiet that only I would be able to hear. Feeling a bit better knowing that I wouldn't have to go through this alone, I let her lead me through the school building. My heart was pounding and I kept my eyes on something in the distance, doing everything that I could to avoid eye contact with anybody.

It's a bit ironic how I had longed to be able to go back to school, to get my life back the way it was before, and yet now that I was here there was nothing that I wanted more than to leave. All these people who I was so used of seeing on a daily basis, made me feel beyond anxious.

I did my best to walk with my head held high, not wanting to give away how I felt inside through my body language. I wanted them to know that I was still the same Jack I'd always been. It was hard though, because the truth was; I had changed. The cocky confident guy who stood up for himself and everyone else in need was gone, and I hated it. I hated feeling so unconfident and vulnerable, and I knew I had to find myself again somehow…

As we passed the crowd I could hear people whispering things to each other and I wondered if they were talking about me. How much did they know? How much had they heard? Had they changed the way they thought of me? If so; what did they think of me?

"Hey, haven't your parents ever taught you that it's rude to stare?!" Kim exclaimed annoyed, making me jerk slightly.

The people around us came out of their daze, suddenly seeming to be aware of how they'd been staring and they all went back to doing whatever they were doing before. Pretty soon the hallway was full of noise again; just the way it should be.

"Thanks…" I mumbled as I felt the pressure from their gazes subdue.

Once we'd reached our lockers Kim let go of my hand. She must've felt the way I was trying to hold it just a little longer, before I had reluctantly let it slip through my grasp.

"Are you ok?" She asked. I nodded quickly while forcing the corners of my mouth into a smile.

"Yeah"

She looked at me as if she was trying to decide whether she should believe me or not, before opening her locker to get her stuff for the first period. Unfortunately we weren't in the same class, which kind of worried me, although I did my best not to show it. Kim was the only thing that could keep the memories and the awful feelings away for sure, and I dreaded what might happen if they hit me with full force when my safety net was gone. Would I be able to keep myself from freaking out in front of everyone?

"I'll be waiting for you right here when you get back." Kim said, turning to me again. "Okay?"

I nodded, feeling the urge to hug her. But knowing that I probably wouldn't be able to let go if I did I held myself back. It was just too risky. The last thing that I wanted was to create a scene on my first day back at school. I quickly turned to my locker and put the combination in. It felt like an eternity and still as if it was only yesterday since I opened my locker. Strange really…

The school bell suddenly rang, making me jump slightly. I scolded myself mentally. I knew for sure that nothing was gonna happen, but still my body refused to relax.

Grabbing my books before closing my locker, I could see in the corner of my eye Kim watching me closely as if she wanted to make sure that I was okay.

"Are you coming Jack?" I heard a familiar voice say. Both Kim and I looked up at the Latino boy that had somehow managed to sneak up on us. He had a goofy yet friendly smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Kim asked a bit surprised. I raised an eyebrow towards my friend, wondering the exact same thing, even though we all knew he was supposed to be here. It's just that Jerry's never in time for school, unless something's happened.

"I knew Jack was coming today, so I figured I'll come early." He said. I smiled, really appreciating that he was here. Looks like I won't be alone during the first period after all. Kim just nodded, before looking back at me.

"I gotta go." She said, seeming not to be fully convinced that my worries were gone. "Everything will be alright." Standing up on her toes, she reached up and placed a small peck on my cheek. I blushed slightly, knowing that Jerry was watching. It had been a little more than a week since that day we'd finally confessed our feelings for each other in my room. I will never forget that moment and every time I think about it, I can't help but smile. Kim had been visiting me every day since, helping me catch up with some school work and keeping me company. Her presence was truly the only thing that would keep the horrible memories away. With her around I almost felt normal; with exceptions for every time she would hold and kiss me. Then I would go all fuzzy inside. I loved that feeling though and it seemed as if I couldn't get enough of it.

But of course she hadn't been able to hang around me all day and the times when she'd been in school or been doing something else had been awful. I had anxiously moved around the house, trying to keep myself occupied with something, making the time go faster. Even worse was it when both mum and dad were off to work. I hated to be alone, but I hadn't been mentally strong enough to go back to school until now. In fact I still dreaded that I had left the safety of my home too soon.

"You coming?" I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Jerry's voice. Kim was already disappearing down the hallway, causing the aching feeling in my chest to grow. Swallowing, I hesitantly nodded at Jerry. He smiled and turned, taking the lead. "Hurry up then."

For a moment I thought about running off when he wasn't looking, but decided against it. I was still Jack Brewer and Jack Brewer doesn't run away. He faces the challenges head on no matter how hard they seem to be...

Afraid of being left behind, I quickly caught up with my friend. Jerry wasn't much to hold on to like Kim, but he was the only thing I had to help me through the first period, so I was going to stick to him.

People had already started to enter the classroom when we got there and we managed to slip in with the crowd without drawing too much attention to us. Jerry headed straight across the room to his usual seat right by the wall. I followed since my seat was just next to his.

"Jerry would you…um…" I started, taking a look around to make sure that no one was listening or looking. Leaning a little closer to my slightly confused friend, I said quietly, "…would you mind if we switch places?" He gave me a questioning look. "Please"

"Okay" He shrugged and stepped aside so that I could pass him and take his seat. I could sense him still looking at me, probably thinking I was weird. Fixing my gaze at the teacher, I tried to ignore him. I didn't feel like telling him that I wasn't comfortable with sitting in my regular seat in the middle of the room. It would leave me way too exposed. Just being in here was hard enough and to push it any further could have serious consequences. The wall provided me with a feeling of safety and the curious looks I received from my classmates weren't as hard to cope with as they would've been otherwise.

Once our teacher started to talk, things began to feel like they used to and to my surprise the time seemed to fly by. It was easier to relax when my brain was being stuffed with new information, being to busy to be able to dwell on the memories…

The next classes were much easier to go through since Kim was there. If I started to feel anxious all I had to do was look at her and she would give me a smile that would keep the angst from growing.

To my relief time seemed to float by without any bigger mishaps. The worst that had happened yet was people staring at me, but I could live with that. It wasn't until lunch that things started get too much...

We'd just finished our meals and was about to leave. I somehow managed to get a little behind the rest of the gang even though Kim was very keen to make sure that I was able to keep up with them. Putting my tray by the dishes, I noticed a bunch of girls whispering to each other. They were sitting at a table not far from where I was standing. Out of curiosity I threw a glance at them and for a split second I made eye contact with one of them before she quickly looked away. She nudged the girl next to her very discreet with her elbow, causing her to go quiet. My stomach made a little twist as I started to recognize the girls. It was the same girls that had been acting so strange around me just days before I was taken and somehow I knew they had been talking about me.

I nervously pulled the sleeves of my shirt up towards my elbows, revealing my forearms without really thinking. It was an old habit of mine and I always used to wear shirts like that. I was instantly reminded of why I was wearing that long sleeved shirt in the first place though as my eyes fell upon the still visible marks around my wrists. Suddenly the metal cuffs digging into them, securing me to a wooden wall appeared before me as the memories came back. With my heart pounding I quickly brought the sleeves down again and hurried out the door, passing my friends.

"Jack" I heard Kim's voice behind me. "Jack wait…" I didn't really listen to her; instead I speeded up my pace escaping the embarrassing moment. The terrible thought of someone having seen my wrists made me wanting to disappear. People would start to wonder, start to ask questions… and if they wouldn't be given an answer they would start to make up their own. Rumours would be spread and everyone would start to think I'm a nutcase. Or even worse; if someone would figuring out what really happened they would start to think I'm weak and some would pity me, while others would –I'm sure- take advantage of it and use it against me somehow.

I had started to jog down the hallway since walking just wasn't fast enough.

"Jack, wait!" Kim had always been persistent and she wasn't likely to give up –that's one thing that I loved about her- but I was still surprised at how close her voice was. I didn't want her to catch up with me, because that would mean I would have to talk to her and I didn't want to. I didn't want to talk to anybody. My jog soon turned into a full out run as I bolted for the place that would for sure give me some privacy.

Turning a corner I saw the door leading to the boys' bathroom. Just as I grabbed the door handle I looked back at the blond who was still chasing me, locking eyes with her for a brief moment.

"Don't you dare!" She shouted out as she struggled to be able to reach me before I could enter. I quickly opened the door and slipped inside, knowing that she wouldn't be able to follow. Panting from the run I made it over to one of the bathroom stalls. I'd barely reached it before I heard the door opened behind me and I practically jumped inside the stall, not wanting to meet whoever it was that had entered the room. I swung the door to the stall closed behind me, although it stopped just before it was fully shut. Looking at it for a second I noticed it moving towards me again. I gave it a push only to find out that there was someone on the outside, trying to get in. Panicking I slammed my shoulder into the door, using my weight to push on it. My heart was racing and my throat was aching as I struggled to close it. Whoever was on the other side was clearly not in here to use the bathroom. There were several stalls that were unoccupied and the only difference between them and the stall I was currently in was…me. The person on the other side wanted to get to me. The realization scared me badly and my mind travelled back to my time in Mark's basement. There had been a moment there that was similar to this. It was the only time I'd struggled against someone on either side of a door like this before, only that time I was desperate to open it and get out and now I was keen to close and lock it, hiding from whoever was out to get me.

My feet slipped on the floor slightly, making it hard for me to keep pushing. The world around me started to get slightly blurred as my eyes were welling up. I _had_ to close it.

"Jack" The voice startled me enough for me to unintentionally lean back from the door for a split second. Immediately it swung opened and the blond girl on the other side burst through it, bumping into me. One look at my face was enough for her to know what I was feeling and she swiftly sneaked her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a hug. The fear I'd felt inside was quickly replaced with relief as my arms find their way around her waist. It was only Kim...

A tickling feeling traced down my right cheek as a tear had managed to escape my eye. I buried my face in Kim's shoulder letting her shirt soak it up like so many times before.

"What happened back there?" She asked, her voice soft and quiet as her hand started to rub circles on my back. I let out a shaky breath and tightened my grip around her, thinking about her question.

Nothing had happened. No one had said or done anything more than looking at me. The chatting girls back at the cafeteria had just caught my attention and I had looked at them for a second. That was all it had taken for me to freak out.

"What happened, Jack?" Kim tried again, when I wasn't answering her.

"Nothing" I said. "Nothing happened."

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I practically threw the books into my locker. Grabbing my bag I slammed the door shut, just wanting to get out of this place. After the incident at lunch I had been on edge and at more than one point during the afternoon I'd thought that I wouldn't be able to make it through the whole of it, but somehow I'd managed -much thanks to Kim-. I just felt that I'd given everything I had and I couldn't stay here for one minute longer. I needed to leave.

Of course Kim took her time to neatly put her books back into her locker and double-check that she'd put her homework in her backpack. I stood next to her, impatiently waiting for her to be done. Even though she didn't take that long, it was still long enough for me to get all nervous and a creepy feeling of being watched consumed me.

In the corner of my eye I thought I saw someone staring at us. I felt my heartbeat increase and I quickly turned around. My hands were on their way up as I was about to take a fighting stance, ready to defend myself, when I realized that there was actually no one there. Feeling a bit silly, I let my arms fall down to my sides again. The hallways were almost empty as most students had left for the day.

Glad that no one seemed to have noticed me I turned to Kim again, who had thankfully just closed her locker.

"You're ready to go?" I asked her, just to make sure.

"Yeah" She said and snuck her hand into mine. I smiled, enjoying the feeling of holding hands with her. It made me feel safer and it reminded me that I wasn't alone.

As soon as we got out of the schoolyard, a wave of relief washed over me. I had made it through the entire day.

We were heading towards my home. Mum and Dad were on a small business trip and wouldn't be home until early in the morning. The timing had been really awful considering that today was my first day back at school, but it had been very important for them to go. And I don't think they really knew how bad my time in captivity had effected me, because if they did; they wouldn't have left.

I didn't blame them though. It was impossible for them to know how scared, how anxious and unconfident I really was. I'd never let them know. I'd never told them about the nightmares I'd had, never told them about the times I hadn't been able to sleep, too scared that there was someone who would come and take me away again. I hadn't told them about the times I'd hid under the covers, crying silently as Alan's voice kept repeating itself inside my head.

To them I was just a little quieter than before.

Mum had hesitated before leaving though, but I had insisted of them going, trying my best to be the Jack that I used to. I didn't want them to worry about me, although I myself worried about me…

"You ok?" Kim asked suddenly.

"Yeah…just tired, I guess…" I said honestly. All the totally unnecessary worrying had left me exhausted. As much as I tried to relax, telling myself over and over that I was just being paranoid, it had seemed to be impossible to do so. Now I just wanted home, where I would be safe and don't have to worry about people staring at me.

"If you want to rest I can come back later or tomorrow…" She said.

"No" I shook my head vigorously, tightening my grip around her hand slightly as I looked at her. She had promised that she would keep me company, which was my only chance to make it through the night. "Please come." I must've sounded and looked a bit desperate and I could see that Kim was trying not to smile at my behaviour. I didn't care about how I acted though; all I cared about was to not be alone.

"Relax" She said, giving me a reassuring smile. "It was just a suggestion." I nodded, as my mind started to go through all the possible awful scenarios that could take place if I would have to spend the night alone. Kim noticed the serious and slightly worried expression on my face. Trying to get me to think of something else she quickly said;

"So, did you get any homework from Mrs Palmer?" I was just about to answer when I could've sworn I heard footsteps behind us. I snapped around, thoroughly searching the road and the nearby buildings with my gaze. Again, there was no one there.

"What is it, Jack?" I could hear a hint of worry in her voice, as she too started to look around, not really sure what she was looking for.

"Nothing" I mumbled and slowly turned back and continued walking, still holding a firm grip of Kim's hand. After a moment of silence, Kim started to question me about school again until she had a conversation going. I was grateful she persisted on getting me to talk actually, since it helped me to relax and for a moment everything felt like it used to, as if the week with Mark had never happened.

We talked, even laughed a little and before we knew it we'd reached my neighbourhood. Even though we still had a bit to go I could see that our car was gone, which meant that mum and dad had already left. Again I was glad that Kim was with me to keep me company.

Suddenly I saw something move in the corner of my eye. Throwing a glance across the street, I barely had the time to register a man diving in around the corner of a garage at the same time I lay my eyes upon him. He'd been wearing a hoodie, with the hood pulled up over his head, making it hard to identify him…

This time I was positive; we were being followed.

Without thinking, I started running down the street, frantically pulling Kim along with me.

"Jack…what's going on?!" I heard Kim's voice from slightly behind me as she was trying to keep up. There wasn't time for me to explain though.

Continuing running with my heart pounding through my chest; there was only one thing on my mind; I had to make sure Kim would be safe…

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**That was the first chapter. So glad to get started on this one.**

**For those of you who don't know, I'm working on another Kickin it story called 'Wings of Love' parallel to this one. So the updates is going to take a little longer...unless there'll be reviews.**

**I'm simply going to put twice as much effort into getting the next chapter up on whatever story gets the most reviews, which means the more reviews the sooner the update:)**

**/MJ**


	2. Movie Night

**AN/ Hi... First I'd like to say WOW. I'd never expected this story to be popular. Thank you so much to all of you who has reviewed and/or added this story to your favourites and alerts.**

**I'm really sorry for the looong wait, especially after leaving that cliffy... I've been up to a lot lately. This chapter is pretty long though so it should really count as two;P haha. I hope that it'll make it up to you...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kickin' it.**

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Chapter 2

**Movie Night**

Forcing my feet to move even faster beneath me, I tightened my grip around Kim's hand to make sure that she wouldn't fall behind. Once the adrenaline was flowing through my veins, the fear had grown into panic and I don't think that anyone or anything would have been able to stop me –unless, of course, it would be something that'd knock me out cold- until we'd reached my house.

With a sweaty palm I dug deep down in my pockets in search for the key that would lead us to safety.

"What's going on Jack?" Kim asked again, panting heavily from the run. I could sense that she was scared too, which didn't exactly calm me. My pulse was beating incredibly fast, to a point where it almost hurt as I desperately tried to get the keys up. Throwing a glance back in the direction we'd come from I spotted the guy again for a very brief moment. He'd moved from his previous place and was now standing by a car just a few houses away. I could only see the backside of him as he seemed to be careful not to expose his face. To anyone else it probably looked as if he was minding his own business and they would find him harmless. But I had noticed his strange sneaking behaviour just seconds earlier and I had also noticed that he'd been heading in the same direction as we. With that put together I was certain he was after us.

The realization caused me to feel even more stressed and when I'd finally got the keys up I fumbled with them, not being able to find the right one. Kim noticed my hands shaking and my inability to get inside as quickly as I wanted. She snatched the set of keys from me and swiftly unlocked the door.

I took hold of the doorknob before Kim even had a chance to reach for it and with a forceful push I practically slammed the door opened, pushing Kim inside in front of me. Turning around quickly I locked the door behind us. Still keeping my hands on the doorknob, I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against the door frame, trying to catch my breath. We were safe.

"Jack?" Kim spoke very quietly as if she was afraid to get me all stressed again. I could feel her putting a hand on my shoulder and I turned my head slightly, still resting it against the door frame as if it needed support to stay on my body. Opening my eyes I met her gaze. She looked worried. "What is it?"

"I think we are being followed." I almost whispered, so that -even though I knew it wasn't possible- the man out on the street wouldn't hear me. Kim seemed to think for a moment, her eyes never leaving mine as she cocked her head to the side. I'm pretty sure she'd caught the seriousness in my voice, although it looked almost as if she didn't believe me. Without saying a word she turned around and walked into our kitchen. I followed, finding her looking out the window from where you can see down the whole street.

"By who?" She wondered, still scanning the area outside our house.

"By a guy…man..." She gave me a look that told me that she was uncertain if I was being right or not. "I swear Kim. He was following us and he hid his face from me. He was standing right over there." I pointed out the window, not bothering to hide the upset tone in my voice when the mysterious man seemed to have vanished in thin air and Kim noticed.

"I believe you." She said, looking at me. I shook my head.

"No you don't." I knew her too well to be fooled by her words. It was more than clear to me that she wasn't fully convinced. She was way too calm. She most likely only said she believed me because she didn't want to upset me.

"Jack" She sighed, taking a step closer to me so that she had a good clear view of my eyes. "I do believe that you saw someone out there. I can tell you're not making it up…"

"but…" I started for her, knowing that she would have something to add.

"…but are you really sure that he was following us?" I gave her a nod.

"Yes I'm sure. Otherwise he wouldn't have tried to hide when I looked at him." Kim was silent for a moment taking a peek out the window again, before looking back at me.

"Who was it?" She wondered.

"I don't know. I didn't see his face."

"Who do you think it could be?"

"I don't know." I shook my head slightly. The thought of who it might be had never really crossed my mind. There was just this feeling inside of me that told me that he wasn't to be trusted and he'd been spying on me, for whatever reason I did not know.

"You do know that Mark's locked up in a mental care?" She said searching my eyes with hers as she noticed me tensing by the mention of his name. "He can't hurt you anymore." I nodded but didn't say anything. Of course I knew Mark wasn't able to hurt me, but that didn't stop me from worrying about what others might try to do…

As if she could read my thoughts Kim spoke again.

"Mark's a really sick person. Far from everybody would do what he did." She brought her hand up to my face, cupping my cheek comforting. "No one is coming for you. You don't have to worry. Okay?"

I thought about what she'd said and came to the conclusion that she was right. Nodding I could feel myself calm down. The guy I'd seen outside was probably harmless to us and it was most likely a coincident that he'd disappeared just when I'd laid my eyes on him, making it look as if he was trying to hide from me.

"So should we get started on our homework?" Kim suggested, bringing me back from my thoughts. I looked at her surprised as she walked back to our backpacks that had been carelessly tossed on the floor. She'd never been much for prioritising school, but I figured that she was trying to take my mind off of things, which I highly appreciated. Besides I was still a bit behind in most subjects and had therefore some extra assignments to do.

I followed her, but not without taking one last glance out the window, just in case…

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We sat on the couch in our living room with books, spirals and paper sheets covering most of the table in front of us.

The homework had taken us almost three hours to do, although looking back at it… it should have been easily done in less than one… Not that it had been difficult in any way. I'd just found it hard to concentrate with the blond beauty sitting right next to me and I had to constantly remind myself to focus on the assignments.

I sighed, pushing the books away slightly, glad to have that over and done with. Kim gathered all her stuff and put them back in her bag, before rising from her seat. I had kind of intended on wrapping my arms around her body and cuddle up with her -something that I'd longed for the whole day- and I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when she stood up, not even looking in my direction.

"I'm starving." She said, making me realize that I too had a very empty stomach. It'd been at least six hours since lunch…

"I'll fix something…" I said, getting up.

"Or we could just order a pizza." Kim suggested.

"Yes, that would be great." I liked the idea, not having eaten a pizza since before I was…since before everything happened. Plus not having to make something to eat would give me more time to hang out with Kim, even though I'm pretty sure she would have helped me out in the kitchen. But I liked to be able to concentrate on her and just her…

"I'll go make the order." She said. "Any wishes?"

"Surprise me." I answered, flashing her a smile. She seemed to be satisfied with the answer, knowing that I wasn't picky at all when it came to food. I'll basically eat anything, as long as I know it won't make me sick…

She disappeared out the hallway to make the call and probably to use the bathroom as well. I could tell by hearing in which direction her footsteps were heading.

The sun had begun to set and it was considerably darker now. Kim was only gone for a few minutes, but that time was more than enough for me to get all anxious again.

I threw a look out the two giant windows that were placed on either side of a glass door, leading out to our backyard. The thought about someone watching me through them had never worried me before, but now I couldn't let go of the possibility of someone spying on us. And the fact that it started to get dark wasn't helping… I swiftly made it over to the windows. As far as I could tell there was no one out there, but then again I couldn't see the entire backyard since a few bushes were blocking my view. That was the reason why I couldn't be one hundred percent sure and it kept me on edge…not to mention that in about an hour it would be completely dark outside. If someone indeed was out there, they would be able to have a clear view of us without having to worry about us seeing them.

So to prevent that from happening I pulled the curtains closed. The room got even darker but the uncomfortable feeling of being watched vanished. I turned on a lamp that was standing in the corner, which filled the room with a nice warm glow.

"Could you help me with these?" I spun around, eying my girlfriend that had just returned. She was carrying two plates with a pile of cutlery on them along with two glasses and a giant soda bottle under her arm. I could tell she was struggling to balance it all up, especially since she was trying to push my homework that was still sprawled out all over the table away with her foot to make room for it all. I quickly got to her, not being able to hold back a smile at the sight.

"Oh, I think you're handling it pretty well." I said, grinning. She gave me a glare that told me that I better shut up and help. Not daring to ignore her I swiftly removed my books, before taking the glasses and the bottle from her and placed them on the table.

"So which movie do you wanna watch?" I asked her as we set everything up.

"I don't know. What do you wanna watch?"

I shrugged. I didn't really care, all I could think about was that we were going to watch it together. We would be sitting next to each other on the couch like so many times before, only difference now was that we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. That meant that I would be able to hold and touch her the way I had been wishing I could do for so long. As if that wasn't good enough mum and dad was out of town and the chances of getting disturbed were almost equal to none.

"You pick one." I said, watching her as she was sitting on the floor, going through a stack of DVDs.

"How about this one?" She held up one of my dad's western movies. It was pretty old and I hadn't cared to watch it before. I wasn't really into western movies, but I wasn't really against them either. It's just that every time I was about to watch a movie I always picked something else.

"Sure" I said, a somewhat amused smile played on my lips, but Kim didn't seem to notice. I knew fully well that she wasn't really into that kind of movies either and mum owned about twenty romantic movies that Kim would just die to watch. She only picked this one because she knew I liked a little more action and I found her thoughtfulness really sweet.

As she fumbled to get the DVD disc into the player, I took a seat, enjoying the fact that everything felt like old times…

Suddenly the doorbell ringed, the sound filling the entire house. I sat up straight, my heartbeat speeding. Mum and dad were gone and I was certain I wasn't awaiting anyone. As I was sitting there trying to think of who it might be, dreading that it might be the guy who I'd seen earlier, Kim had already gotten to her feet and was heading for the door.

Realizing how much danger she could be in if she opened for him, I stood up and practically ran after her. She had gotten surprisingly far and was holding one hand on the doorknob while unlocking the door with her other, when I got to the hallway.

Everything seemed to go in slow-motion and my legs wouldn't move fast enough as I saw Kim opening the door.

"Kim, don't!" I shouted out, way too late. The person on the other side was revealed and Kim turned to look at me with a confused expression on her face. I skidded to a halt, just barely making it from bumping into her, as I had intended to throw myself at the door or on the intruder if necessary, but seeing the pizza delivery guy on the doorstep stopped me. My fears were almost instantly gone and were replaced with embarrassment as I looked down trying to hide my face that was starting to get red. I could feel them both watching me and I took a step back. "Sorry" I mumbled.

Kim just shook her head before taking the pizza and handing the guy his money. As soon as the door was closed again Kim turned to me.

"What was that all about?" She didn't seem mad, although there was an edge to her voice, probably from the embarrassment I'd put her through when she had had to excuse me…

"I…" I started. "I just thought that it was that guy from before." My voice was quiet as if that would keep her from getting mad at me. Kim looked me up and down as if she was trying to determine what to say. Finally deciding that no words were necessary she sighed and walked back to the living room. With my heart still trying to come back to its normal pace, I checked the door to make sure that it was locked before sprinting after her.

Taking a seat next to each other, we started to eat while watching the movie. I looked over at Kim, not really paying attention to the TV screen in front of us. I was wondering what she was thinking about me. Did she think I was a nutcase? Or did she understand my constant worries? I doubted that she did… I mean, I could hardly understand it myself. It was as if my mind and emotions were completely separated from one another, and it didn't matter how much my brain was trying to reason, my emotions would take over and my body would act out on its own without me having the slightest chance to control it.

I cleaned my plate pretty quick and sat back trying to focus on the movie. Nothing much seemed to have happened yet and I hadn't any difficulties to understand what was going on.

"Ugh…" Kim made a face suddenly, looking down at her lap. Curios to see what it was I leaned forward to spot the red tomato sauce stain on her jeans. She rose almost immediately and left for the kitchen. I paused the movie, even though I knew that she probably didn't care. Resting my shoulder blades against the corner between the armrest and the back of the couch, I brought my legs up and stretched out my fairly long body across the rest of the furniture into a half laying half sitting position. I listened to the faint noises Kim was making out in the kitchen, letting myself relax into the soft cushions.

When Kim finally showed up again, she went over to me, expecting me to move so that she could have her seat back. I didn't however, not wanting to abandon the comfortable position. When she realized I wouldn't move she took hold of my legs, trying to pull them off the couch. Even though I hadn't made a full recovery yet, not having all my strength back, I was still stronger than her and I could quite easily keep my legs in place. A grin spread across my face as I watched her struggle. She was beginning to get really annoyed almost seeming angry by the look on her face. I grinned even wider. The funny thing with Kim is that she's the only person I know that no matter in which mood she's in, she's always cute. Or adorable would actually be a better word for it.

Her face was turning slightly red as a result of the combination between the irritation that was growing in her and the physical endeavour she was putting herself through.

"Jack!" She hissed, finally giving up and giving me a glare. I instantly wiped the smile off my face, knowing that it would be a bad idea to push her any further. She inhaled deeply, clenching her teeth as if trying to keep herself from shouting. "Would you be so kind and move over?" Even though she used a very polite set of words to ask me that, the annoyance in her voice was undeniable…

"Why?" I said as if I didn't know the answer. Kim wasn't in the mood to play along though.

"Jack, move." She demanded.

"Why?" I repeated, looking up at her as innocently as I could. The look in her eyes soften a bit as she we locked gazes. I knew that she wouldn't be able to stay mad at me, no matter how hard she tried if I just got eye contact with her. She sighed.

"Jack, there's no room for me to sit." She said as if she was explaining it to a little child.

"There's always room for you."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "Then where do you suppose I'll sit?"

"Right here." I scooted over to the edge and patted the small area between me and the back of the couch. There was a slight hesitation from her part, probably wondering if I really meant it. The space was so small that she would have to press up against me. That was kind of the point though and I gave her an encouraging nod.

Her face lit up to my surprise and joy, and she gracefully climbed over my body. Twisting around so that she would fit in the narrow space, she made herself comfortable. I wrapt my arms around her and lifted her upper body up. She wasn't as heavy as I had expected, much because she helped lifting herself up. I moved my body in underneath her, until I was lying flat on my back, my head resting against a giant pillow supported by the armrest. Gently I guided Kim back down again until her upper body was lying on top of my chest. She let her arms down on either side of my body, holding on to me. Her bright eyes found mine and I wasn't able to hold myself back. Lifting my head up, I captured her soft lips with mine. She inhaled quickly, stiffening from surprise. Continuing to move my mouth cravingly over hers, I could soon feel her relax though and she started to kiss back. Her hands found their way up to my face where they gently traced up and down my cheeks before taking hold of me as if she was afraid I would disappear. The thought of her wanting me so bad made me smile through the kiss and I tightened my arms around her, pressing her if possible even closer to me. Very slowly I let my head fall back onto the cushion again, moving my hand up to the back of Kim's neck, urging her to follow. She did without hesitation, careful not to break the kiss that was starting to get deeper and more intense.

My heart was beating so hard against my chest that it made me wonder if Kim was able to feel it too. Somewhere in the back of my head I could hear my mother's voice, when she had talked to me before school this morning. She hadn't liked the idea of leaving two teenagers who were madly in love with each other alone. At first she had wanted me to stay at Kim's since her parents would be home to make sure that things didn't get out of hand, but I wasn't sure I could spend the night away. My home was the safest place I knew, and even here I could lose all my confidence completely just like that, so sleeping somewhere else was out of the question.

I had talked her into letting Kim stay here in our guest room and after a long discussion she'd realized that that was the only option if she and dad would be able to leave. The business trip was needless to say very important for them and they had reluctantly left Seaford about an hour after school had started this morning.

'Don't do anything stupid, Jack.' Mum had said to me warningly before we'd separated. I had of course vowed that I would never ever do such a thing, fully believing my own words. But now lying comfortably on the couch with the most gorgeous girl on top of me, feeling her soft touch and tasting the sweetness of her lips, I wondered if I would be able to keep that promise…

Kim seemed to be just as caught up in the moment as I was and she hadn't any plans of stopping anytime soon. This of course didn't make it any easier to hold back. I honestly don't know how much further we would've gone if it wasn't for a screeching sound coming from the windows I'd covered earlier, as if someone was dragging a sharp object against the glass. The hair on the back of my neck rose and I tensed. Abruptly stopping to move my lips I tried to break away from the kiss. But I soon found this almost impossible, not being able to move my head away from her since it was already pressed down as far as it would go into the soft pillow and Kim had most likely not heard the noise from outside since she kept on going, her hands still firmly holding my head in place. I definitely wouldn't have minded to keep kissing her throughout the entire night. There was actually nothing that I'd rather do, but the fear of someone sneaking around the house got me all worried again. And the fact that I was jammed between Kim and the couch, not being able to leave at the exact moment that I wanted too only added to the fear building up inside of me.

I pushed my head sideways, trying to get out from under her. Kim noticed and finally lifted her head up and looked me in the eyes.

"Kim…" I panted slightly, my voice coming out as a whisper. "Kim did you heaommpf…" She obviously didn't pay any attention to what I was trying to tell her because she slammed her lips right back down on mine. Taking the opportunity of me talking she slipped her tongue inside of my mouth. This time I was the one to be taken by surprise and for a moment I just lay there frozen. I hadn't expected her to go ahead like that.

The feeling of her tongue moving around every corner of my mouth was all I could think of. Kim was all I could think of.

Completely forgetting everything else I started to kiss back fiercely, pressing her close to me once more.

Suddenly I heard something coming from the glass door again. The sound was clearer this time and it made me jump. Someone was trying to open it, turning the doorknob. Of course it was locked, which caused whoever was out there to slightly jerk on the door. Kim noticed my reaction and she quickly broke away and followed my gaze to the curtains that shielded us from the unknown danger lurking around outside.

"What is it?" Kim wondered.

"Someone's out there…" I mumbled, trying to sit up slightly, which was hard with Kim still on top of me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I said, never taking my eyes from the curtains, half expecting them to be pulled away and for the person to reveal themselves. "Didn't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"Someone's trying to get in." I nodded in the direction. Kim sighed.

"Jack, I'm not gonna lie to you. I heard something too, but I'm pretty sure it was just the wind." I blinked a few times, thinking. It could've been the wind I guess… but I definitely wasn't sure. Feeling Kim's hand gently caressed my cheek, I turned my attention back to her. "You don't have to worry. Okay?" She said and I gave her a small nod as if I understood, but I clearly wasn't convincing enough. Kim spotted the worry in my eyes easily and she hoisted herself up, supporting herself with her arms being placed on either side of me. "You want me to go check?" She offered, starting to get up.

"No" I objected immediately, shaking my head and grabbed a hold of her arms. Gently but firmly I pulled her back down towards me. She looked at me confused. "You're right." I said as calm and convincing as I could. "It…it was probably just the wind." The truth was though I still believed that there was someone out there and the thought about Kim to be the first to encounter them was dreadful. I much rather have her safely in my embrace.

Kim slumped down against me, holding her face just above mine. Her cheeks turned slightly red. I'm guessing that it was from her remembering what we'd been doing before we got interrupted.

"You em…you wanna continue to watch the movie?" She wondered.

"Sure" I smiled, amused by the way she was trying to act as if nothing had happened, when clearly all she could think about was our little make out session. She reached out and grabbed the remote that was lying on the table, while I watched her with interest from underneath. Inspecting the remote closely, she soon found the 'play button'. I could hear the voices coming from the TV but I didn't listen to what they were saying, nor did I care to turn my head and look at the screen. As if being in a trance my focus was fixed on the blond who was making herself comfortable on top of me. The blush on her cheeks were still very visible and I guess that she still was a little embarrassed for the way she'd kissed me so greedy. There was no need for her to be embarrassed though, I mean I hadn't been exactly shy either…

The red shade that decorated most of her face suited her and I found her really cute. Lifting my head up I placed a peck on her glowing cheek, before forcing myself to watch the moving images in front of us. Kim rested her head against me, placing it just under my chin.

* * *

I had concentrated on the movie enough to get what it was all about and I found myself caught up in the plot. It turned out to be pretty good actually and I wondered why I hadn't watched it earlier.

Two men on horses had appeared on the screen. They were threatening a brave but helpless farmer to get him to spill where the hero of the movie was hiding. The scene was quite exciting and you knew that it was only a matter of time before something would happen, although I could never have guessed that that something would have that much of an impact on me…

In a courageous but stupid attempt to save himself without letting his secret slip out the farmer took off running. Of course he would never be able to outrun the men on horseback and it was clear to me that he was doomed. But instead of shooting him or knocking him down like I'd expected them to do, one of the men swung his lasso over his head before throwing it towards the poor farmer. The throw was perfect and the farmer came to an abrupt stop as he hit the end of the rope and fell to the ground. My stomach turned and I felt almost sick.

"It's kind of rude to run away like that, don't you think?" The man who'd just thrown the lasso said as he backed his horse up to keep the rope stretched. His voice was a bit hoarse and kind of high-pitched, although in my ears the words echoed in a much deeper tone, stirring the very essence of me.

"Please…" The farmer pleaded fearfully, already knowing what was coming for him and so did I…

The rider showed no mercy, but turned his horse around. With a light kick to the horse's sides he asked for it to take off, which it did. Within a second the farmer was being dragged across the dirt in an incredible high speed…

The nausea I felt increased. I could literally feel every pebble that scratched the man's body and I turned my head away, squeezing Kim for comfort. It was too late though. I'd already seen it. The deep voice in my head was already chanting and the sound of the accelerating vehicle filled my ears. The marks around my wrists had started to burn as flashbacks repeated themselves over and over. I really tried my hardest to think of something else, but with the man on the screen screaming along with the music meant to set the mood for the scene it all became too much. I had to get away, now.

With Kim still lying on top of me, it was easier said than done. Kim barely had the time to notice me moving, let alone ask me what was going on before I panicked, having the feeling of being restrained. Tossing around like crazy I tried to get away.

"Jack…" Kim asked worried as she tried to move off of me. Our couch is pretty soft and the cushions are fluffy, making it hard to move in it. Something that Kim got to experience… And of course it didn't make it any easier for her to have a terrified guy underneath her frantically trying to get up.

We must've looked like two fishes up on dry land where we lay flopping around and flinging our limbs around in the air until Kim finally decided to let herself fall back down, sending me flat onto my back again. She took a hold of my face, to make sure I would pay attention to her.

Oh I paid attention to her… the way she held me caused me to freak out. I tried to shake my head free, but she was holding on to it tight.

"Jack, calm down." She said, looking me in the eyes and trying to hold me still, using her body to pin me down. "Jack" I could hear her voice in the distance and somehow it had a soothing effect on me. "Jack it's okay." I eventually stopped moving physically but on the inside there was still a storm blowing and I lay stiff as board not being able to relax. "It's okay, just breathe."

I tried to focus on Kim and hesitantly I let go of the breath I'd been holding. "It's okay." She whispered again, stroking my hair with her thumbs, still not wanting to let go of me. Little by little the dark memories faded and I could feel Kim's warmth and love surround me. I closed my eyes for a moment, finally letting myself relax. Kim leant down and rested her cheek against mine, continuing to whisper soothing things in my ear.

Appreciating her comfort, I wrapt my arms around her to make sure she wouldn't go away. We just lay there holding on to each other for a few minutes until the dreadful feeling was gone. By now I'd come to believe that Kim must have some kind of a sixth sense. It was as if she could read my mind. She always seemed to know what was going on inside of me and she always knew what to say or to do to help me. She even seemed to know when I was ready to break away from the hug.

Carefully she lifted her head up to look at me again. The sight of her lovely face made the corners of my mouth form into a faint smile, which she returned.

"You ok?" she wondered.

"Yeah…" I nodded. The feeling of panic was gone and replaced with calmness. I was a little hesitant though, expecting her to ask me what the heck that was all about and I didn't want to answer that. Simply because that meant that I would had to dig in my memories and face my demons. To my relief though Kim seemed satisfied with the answer and turned her eyes to the TV again. The movie had continued to play, which meant that we had missed quite a bit.

"Would you like me to rewind?" She asked.

"No it's okay." I said, shifting a little to make myself comfortable. Keeping my focus on the table in front of us I pretended to be watching. Truth was I didn't want to watch it anymore, scared that it might trigger another freak out. I know that if I'd just tell Kim she would turn the movie off, but I didn't want to worry her. Besides I really enjoyed just lying there with her so close.

Somewhere near the end of the movie Kim had fallen asleep against my chest. The warmth and weight of her body was very comfortable. I looked down at her, gently letting my fingers entwine with her hair. I'd turned the TV off and the only thing that could be heard was Kim's soft breaths. It hit me just how much I loved her. It's strange, before I moved to Seaford I didn't even know she existed and now I don't think I'll be able to survive without her. The thought made me think about that terrible night in Mark's basement. I'd been so close of losing her. The memory caused my eyes to water and I hugged the sleeping girl a little tighter, unbelievably grateful that I was being able to.

"What would I do without you, Kim?" I whispered. "What would I do…?" I hoped with all my heart that I would never have to find out the answer to that question.

She looked so peaceful that I couldn't bring myself to wake her up. Deciding that the couch would do just as well as my bed, I kissed her forehead tenderly before resting my head back against the pillow.

"I love you, Kim" I whispered and closed my eyes. With my precious laying safely in my arms I headed off to sleep…or at least tried, because before I could reach the place where my dreams and nightmares would come to visit a loud thud was heard from outside. My eyes shot opened immediately. Looking around to try and find the source of the sound I listen anxiously.

Everything was quiet and nothing seemed to be out of order. A minute passed without anything happening and I was starting to believe that I'd only imagine the thud in my half sleeping condition…

Deciding that there was nothing to worry about I adjusted a little to a more comfortable position, careful not to wake up Kim before trying to sleep again. My movements stirred Kim slightly and she snuggled her face deeper into my chest, which made me smile before I closed my eyes for a second time.

_SLAM!_

Practically jumping out of my skin I caused the whole couch to move beneath us. Kim woke up startled. Breaking away from my embrace she sat up.

"What's going on?" She asked groggily.

"Someone's trying to get in." I whispered at the same moment I realized that someone was indeed slamming something against the front door. Sitting up I tried to wrap my arms around her again, wanting to make sure she was safe. She wouldn't let me though as she quickly moved away, climbing off the couch. Standing next to the furniture she listened. I was sitting absolutely still barely even breathing, just waiting for another sound to be heard that would tell us what was going on. After a minute or to of dead silence Kim turned her gaze to me. I must've looked scared as I sat there almost trembling from the tension my body held. With a sympathetic look in her eyes she sighed.

"Jack…" she said, placing a hand on my head to stroke my hair. I looked up at her waiting for her to go on. "You've been acting jumpy all day… It's time to bring an end to this…" Before I had a chance to realize what she meant by that she had already turned and walked away. It dawned to me though when I heard her footsteps heading towards our front door. With my blood pumping through my veins I swiftly got up from the couch and ran after her.

"Kim!" Just like last time I was too late and when I reached the hallway she was already halfway through the door. "Kim no!" The door slammed shut behind her. I don't think I've ever moved through our house so fast before and still I didn't seem fast enough. I threw the door opened, looking frantically around in the dark for my beloved girlfriend. My heart beating ridiculously fast and my vision was getting all cloudy as tears started to fill my eyes when I couldn't see her anywhere.

"Kim!" Oh please answer me…"Kim!"

* * *

**Long chapter without anything really happening...but at least there was some Kick in it, right?**

**This story got far more reviews than my other that's why I've been concentrating on this one and I will continue to do so if this story continue to stay the most popular of the two of them. So keep the reviews coming...**

**Of course I will continue to work on my other story too, but not as much at the moment...**

**Take care and I really really will do everything that I can to get the next chapter up faster than this one...**

**/MJ**


	3. Loneliness and Nightmares

**AN/ Hi... It took a while to finish this chapter...Sorry for letting you hanging, but at least it didn't take as long as the last chapter:)**

**I'm still amazed over how much support this story has. You guys are awesome:) **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin' it.**

* * *

Chapter 3

**Loneliness and Nightmares**

"KIM!" I screamed as loud as I possibly could through the darkness, a lump starting to form in my throat. I can't lose her, I just can't. "Kim!"

"Jeez…take it easy Jack." I turned to my left and caught sight of the blond popping her head out from around the corner of our house. "I'm right here."

I let out a shaky breath. Thank God she was alright.

"I found this." she said and held up what looked like a soccer ball. "It must be David's"

David Johnston was a ten-year old kid who lived next door. I nodded, not really caring what she was getting to. I just wanted her to get back inside, before anything could happen.

"He must've shot it against the door." She explained. "That's what you heard…"

"At eleven pm?" I pointed out. Kim thought for a moment as I let my gaze search our yard for any potential danger.

"That's odd" Kim mumbled in agreement, playing with the ball in her hands.

"Yeah I know. Can we please get back inside now?" I said, standing only two feet away from our front door, too scared to walk out into the night. I rather not even make my way over to Kim who was just ten feet away from me.

"Hang on one sec…" Much to my dislike the blond disappeared around the corner again, leaving me no other choice but to follow.

"Kim, wait!" Sprinting down the steps I hurried after her. Kim picked up her speed, clearly not wanting me to catch up so that I might get the chance to stop her from doing whatever she was about to do…

Once we'd made it to the backyard I heard something coming from the bushes to my right and I froze on the spot. Kim came to a stop as well, looking questioningly at me. She was still too far away for me to reach her and I'd rather not go any further.

"Kim, get back here!" I whisper yelled, pointing at the spot where I was standing for emphasis.

"Just let me check something…"

"Kim no." I protested, feeling my heartbeat increase in speed and throwing a worried glance at the bushes. All I wanted to do was to run and hide, but I couldn't leave Kim behind. She would have to come with me. "Kim please." I begged, starting to become desperate. "Let's go inside." I tried again, not getting any response from her. For every second that passed the fear grew stronger and together with the feeling of being totally ignored they made me wanting to cry. "Kim please. Kim!" Like a child who doesn't get what they want I almost screamed the last part, trying to get her attention.

"Just one second…" Kim said over her shoulder, not seeming to be worried at all as she inspected something further down in our backyard.

"Kim…" A cold wind passed by making me shudder. "...please…"

Suddenly what sounded like a branch just got broken was heard from the shadows not far from where I was standing, making me jump. I quickly made the conclusion that someone had stepped on it by accident. In other words; we weren't alone.

Panicking I ran up to Kim and grabbed her by the arm, pulling on her to get her to come with me. She pulled away from me harshly, starting to become really annoyed at me. I on the other hand was starting to get really frustrated by her not realizing how much danger she was putting us both in. Why wouldn't she come with me?

Not knowing what else to do I quickly grabbed her by the waist before she had the slightest chance to react. Having the advantage of being both bigger and stronger than her I hoisted her up.

"What are you…Jack!" My name left her throat in a shriek as I tossed her over my shoulder, holding her kicking legs firmly against my chest.

"Put me down!" She was mad I could tell, not only from the venom in her voice but also by the way her fists repeatedly banged against my back as I quickly made my way back around the house. "Jack!" Ignoring her I did my best to hold her so that she wouldn't slip out of my grip.

The hard part came when we reached the front door. It was quite tricky to get through it successfully without accidentally getting Kim hurt from the way she squirmed around, trying to get free. Only being able to use one arm to restrain her while the other had to open and close the door didn't exactly make it any easier either… But somehow I managed. With a shaking hand I locked the door after us before letting Kim down. Her face was red, probably from both anger and the fact that she'd been hanging practically upside-down… I took a step back, knowing I'd do better to leave her some space. Moving my shoulder around a little I tried to get rid of the dull pain that had erupted from carrying her.

"What was that all about?!" She hissed. I cringed slightly under her glare.

"I… I just…"

"You just what?" Kim had troubles keeping her voice down. I could tell that she wanted to yell at me. Something that made me really upset and I lowered my gaze to the floor. "You're acting all crazy! Mark's not here, in fact no one is." She scolded, talking unnecessary loud which made me flinch. The tears burnt in my eyes and I did everything that I could to fight them. Why couldn't she understand? "You're just imagining, which does definitely not I repeat not give you the right to throw me over you shoulder and carry me away. I don't know what's gotten into you. Just relax al…."

"I'm scared, Kim! That's what's gotten into me!" I almost yelled back through the lump in my throat, not being able to take more of her anger without defending myself. She went silent, looking taken aback, not having expected the outburst coming from me. I looked up through the tears that dimmed my vision to meet her eyes. Everything was deathly quiet as we just stood there looking at each other until I whispered "I'm scared…and I can't help it..." Beginning to lose the fight against the tears I quickly turned and ran for my room.

"Jack wait!" I could faintly hear Kim calling my name, but I ignored her as I made it upstairs. "Jack!" Slipping inside my room I slammed the door shut behind me blocking the sound of Kim's voice. Knowing that no one would be able to see me I leaned against the door and let the tears fall. Kim had been my rock through all of this. Without her I would've never survived. Without her I would never be able to get my life back together. Without her there wasn't any hope… And now she'd just turned her back at me.

I sobbed, although quietly, not wanting anyone to hear me. On slightly trembling legs I made it over to my bed. I hadn't felt this lonely since my time back at Mark's place and I couldn't get the tears to stop. No matter how much I tried to wipe them away new ones kept coming. I climbed up in my bed, letting myself slump down into it. Lying on my stomach I hugged my pillow for comfort while burying my face in it, letting it soak up all the tears. What was I supposed to do without my Kim?

The thought of not having her around cut through me painfully and a quite loud sob emerged from my lips. I so desperately wanted to keep her, I did everything I could to make sure she was safe. It never occurred to me that the more I tried to hold on to her, to protect her the more she slipped away from me… and now I'd lost her.

In hindsight I can see that I was overreacting, but I was still so emotionally bruised that it didn't take much for me to get thoroughly upset. I fully did believe that Kim thought I was a nutcase and that she would leave me.

I just waited for the sound of the door to our house closing, letting me know that Kim would be gone forever from my life.

A door making noise actually did reach my ears a moment later. But it was not from the front door closing downstairs but from the door to my room opening.

"Jack?" I quickly stopped sobbing, closing my mouth and turning my head away so that I was facing the wall, pretending to be sleeping. It took my full concentration to keep my shoulders from shaking as I tried to take deep calm breaths, hoping that Kim would go when she thought I was asleep. It's strange how I had feared her to leave me just a moment earlier and now when she had done the exact opposite and come to me instead, I wanted her to go… For some reason I felt ashamed over the tears that I hadn't been able to stop and I didn't want for her to see them.

"Jack?" I could hear her approach me. Focusing on my breathing I held it together. She gently put a hand on my shoulder, leaning slightly over me.

"Please don't cry." She said softly.

Well that didn't work…The fact that she had seen right through me made me feel like a failure, not being able to do something as easy to pretend to be sleeping. And that was enough for me to lose it again. I hid my face in the pillow, crying silently as I felt Kim sitting down next to me on the bed.

"I'm so sorry Jack." She said and combed her fingers through my locks. I flinched, having not expected her touch. Kim didn't react to it though and she persistently kept stroking my hair, her fingertips soothingly massaging my scalp as she did. "I'm sorry. I should never have yelled at you." I sniffed, not answering her. The bed shifted beneath me as she pulled her legs up and lay down next to me. Lying in the middle of the bed I hadn't left much room for her and she had to press her body against mine to keep herself from falling down to the floor. She let her arm rest over my back, hugging me comforting. The feeling of loneliness slowly started to disappeared. It was nice to have her so close again. After all she was still by my side.

She somehow managed to place her head on the edge of the pillow I was using even though I had it squeezed within my hold and tucked under my face that I still refused to expose. The tip of her nose brushed lightly against my temple as she spoke quietly into my ear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said." I felt her hand making its way up to my head again, before starting to stroke it. "Forgive me, please."

I listened to her, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything in return. Not yet anyway. It'll have to wait until all the emotions had been let out, otherwise I'd just start to sob again.

It was good to know that she wasn't mad at me, although her coming and ask for my forgiveness was something that I hadn't expected. I didn't hold anything against her. The only person I was blaming was me. I was the one who got her angry. She hadn't done anything and all the things she'd told me back downstairs had been true. I was acting all crazy… I swallowed, feeling guilty for making her feel guilty.

"Jack" She said bringing me back from my thoughts. "Please just look at me." I hesitantly turned my head a little, revealing half of my face and looked at her through my bloodshot eye. Her hand immediately moved to my cheek, wiping away a few tears that still lingered there. We both lay silent for a moment just looking at each other. I supposed Kim wanted me to say something, but she wouldn't push me which I appreciated. Instead she kept quiet. Having all her attention towards me she waited patiently for me to speak.

The tears had finally come to an end, but I still felt all battered inside from all the emotions that had been and still were fighting over space in there.

"I hate feeling like this…" I said so weakly that Kim wouldn't have been able to hear it if she hadn't been lying so close to me. "I hate feeling so scared all the time…I whished it could all just stop." Kim listened carefully, removing a strand of hair from my face. After studying me for a moment she sighed and moved a little closer, having our foreheads meet.

"I'm so so sorry Jack. I didn…"

"You were right." I said cutting her off, already knowing what she was about to say. "I am going crazy…"

"No, no Jack. You're not going crazy." She protested. I listened, all of a sudden very interested. She didn't think I was crazy? "You're just scared." I looked down. I knew fully well that I was scared, I'd just admitted it, but hearing someone else say it made it seem so…final. Kim noticed how I was starting to shut her out again and she quickly continued, not allowing me to. "It's only natural after everything you've been through." She gently caressed my cheek. "…and I if anyone should understand that. I'm sorry." I looked up at her again. How come she always seemed to know what to say to make me feel better? A warm smile played on her lips, encouraging me to let go of the pillow I had mangled beneath me. I slowly released my grip, immediately reaching out for Kim replacing the comfort of the pillow with the loving care of her. Turning over to my side I wrapt my arm around her waist and pressed myself against her. She kissed my forehead before protectively wrapping her arms around my head holding it against her chest while placing her chin on top of it. Even though she was smaller than me I fitted perfectly in her embrace as if it was meant for me to be there. I closed my eyes resting my forehead against her collarbone, sighing. Everything felt so much better. Her chest moved steadily up and down as she breathed, creating a rocking motion that soon had me fully relaxed.

"I love you" I spoke softly into her chest, tightening my arms around her. "…more than you could ever imagine." I could feel the now very familiar feeling of her fingers running through my hair as a response to me declaring my love to her. "…and I'm terrified of losing you."

"I know..." She said, turning her head a little so that her cheek was pressed up against my head instead of her chin while giving me a gentle squeeze. "I love you too…a lot." A smile spread across my face after hearing her say that. "I don't even know if it's healthy to love someone as much as I love you…" She mumbled, making a warm feeling spread inside of me and I let out a small chuckle. "I mean I'm hardly even being able to think about anything else..."

"Really?" I smiled.

"Yes really…You're on my mind all the time…" She paused, thinking while I just basked in the love that she gave me, my stomach doing small flips of joy. She had showed me through her actions so many times before that she loved me, she'd even told me she did, but hearing her express just how strongly she was feeling for me made me overjoyed. "There's really no need for you to worry." She said. "I'll never leave you. I promise I'll always be by your side, no matter what."

"Does that mean you'll be my wife?" I asked. A quiet chuckle left Kim's mouth.

"…probably…" she mumbled, unsure of what to answer, not knowing how serious I'd been. The question was meant as a joke but there was indeed seriousness behind it. Marriage was still lying far in the future for me, I knew that, but I also knew that if I would ever marry someone, I wanted to marry Kim.

"We should probably get us ready for some sleep." Kim said and increased the distance between us, starting to get up. I looked up at her, not really wanting to leave her warm embrace.

"Do we have to?" I said. "Can't we just stay here? I mean we're in bed already…" Kim laughed my comment off, ignoring it.

"I'm starting to get really tired…and so do you." She pointed out.

"I'm not tired."

"Right…" She rolled her eyes, clearly not believing me. "I need to go change into my PJs…" Throwing me a glance she spotted the disappointment in my eyes and she smiled a little. "Don't look so sad." She leant down and gave me a small peck on the lips. Slightly stunned after her kiss I was late to react and before I knew it Kim had already gotten out of my hold and was about to leave my room. Just when she reached the door she turned back and looked at me.

"Are you okay?" She wondered, wanting to make sure that I wouldn't go back to being all upset again.

"Yeah," I nodded and reluctantly started to get up only to getting myself ready for sleep so that I could return to my bed again…

* * *

_The sun felt nice against my skin as I walked along the path, hearing the rhythmic beat of our feet hitting the soft ground as we made it deeper into the forest. I squeezed Kim's hand and turned to look at her. She was still laughing from a joke I'd told her earlier. _

_Above us the birds sang beautifully, welcoming the spring that had just arrived. The further we went the thicker the forest seemed to grow. It didn't scare me though. Instead of feeling trapped by the foliage, it gave me a feeling of protection and shelter. It felt truly peaceful to walk down the trail with my beloved Kim by my side._

"_Look over there." Kim pointed at something that hadn't caught my eye just yet. She let go of my hand and walked ahead of me. Curios to know what she had spotted I followed. _

_There hidden among the trees was a small building. Kim quickened up her pace. Stopping about twenty feet away from it, she looked up at it with interest. I walked up to her side._

_The house was made out of wood and it was pretty small, more of a cabin than a house really. It was kind of nice and somehow it was inviting. Kim started to approach it. _

"_Looks like no one's here." She said and started to circle the building. I on the other hand walked up the small steps that led up to the door, peeking through the small window that was placed on it. It was hard to see through it because of the light outside and I leaned closer to the window, holding up my arm over my head to block the sun out. Accidentally giving the door a small push with my forearm it opened slightly. I hesitantly took hold of the handle and opened the door a bit more. _

"_Hello?" I said looking inside. "Anybody here?" No answer was returned. The air felt a bit stuffy and there was a layer of dust on the floor, making me realize that the cabin must be abandon. Bringing up my courage I stepped inside to take a look around. There wasn't much to it…_

_In one of the corners there was a small kitchen along with a table that was surrounded by three chairs. Up on the wall behind the table there was a window from where you could see the forest. I walked in a little further, spotting a fireplace that seemed to be the only source of warmth in here when it was getting cold at night…_

_Turning around I walked over to a bed that was placed further away in a dark corner. Even though no one seemed to have been here for years, the place felt homey and oddly familiar to me. The bed was neatly made, but someone had left a small bundle of something on top of the pillow. When I inspected it closer I could see that that something was made out of some kind of fabric. It was light green in colour, but it was dirty and there were…buttons in it. Coming to the conclusion that it was a piece of clothing I took it and held it up into the light. Having a better view of it I could see several small holes in it and the dark patches looked just like…_

_The window over by the kitchen suddenly smashed, as if someone just had thrown a big rock through it and I spun around, my heart almost leaping out of my chest. I couldn't see anyone or anything that could've caused the hole that was now in the middle of the window. My feet seemed glued to the spot as I waited for another sound, another movement that would tell me what was going on. _

_Suddenly cracks began to appear on the window, starting from the hole and spreading out to the edges of it. The cracks increased in number until there were so many of them that the window couldn't hold together anymore. It exploded with a loud smash, sending pieces of glass flying all over the place. I shielded my face with my arm as I instinctively took a step back, accidentally tripping on something. Unable to find my balance I fell to the ground with my back up against the wall. Breathing rapidly I eyed the pile of chain that was lying on the floor where I'd just been standing. _

"_Kim…" I said starting to realize how much danger we probably were in. Putting my hand against the wall behind me for support I hit an object, causing a rattling sound. Looking down next to me I saw a pair of handcuffs. Secured to the wall they dangled about half a foot off the ground. _

_Panicking I scrambled to my feet. The place felt all of a sudden very dark and hostile. We definitely shouldn't be here. Not wasting any time I ran out the door._

"_Kim we need to get out of here!" The blond stood over by a small shed and -from what it looked like- was about to open the door to it. She turned her head at the sound of my voice. "Run!" I yelled as I jumped down the porch taking all the steps in one leap. Kim had barely the chance to hear my warning let alone do anything before the ground beneath her gave away and a giant hole appeared. She let out a high shriek as she fell._

"_Kim!" I screamed, watching in horror her disappearing below the surface. Kim having the great reflexes that she had was able to grab a tree root at the last second, literally holding on to it for dear life. I ran to her rescue as fast as I could, but just before I could reach her something hit me hard in the back, knocking me over. Frantically I tried to get up, only to find that to be almost impossible with the heavy thing that was weighing down on my back._

"_Why in such a hurry?" A deep voice came from behind me. Peeking over my shoulder I met the pair of green eyes that had been haunting me for weeks now. "Tess has just made dinner inside. Why don't you join us? You must be hungry." The man gave me a grin, sending shivers down my back. I was frozen from fear, not daring to move or to answer him. I hardly even dared to breathe. Whatever he was about to do would be ten times worse if I tried to do anything. _

"_Jack!" Kim screamed as she started to lose her grip. Suddenly the fear of the man pinning me down drowned in the utterly horrifying thought of losing her and I started to struggle to get free. Using my elbows I tried to crawl closer to her. The tall man was both heavy and strong but with willpower I slowly but steady got closer to the hole that was about to swallow my Kim. A pair of strong hands took hold of my shoulders and pushed me down, my elbows giving in beneath me. Kim's hand, which was the only thing that was visible for me from where I lay on the ground suddenly slipped. _

"_Kim!" I reached out for her, the tip of my finger only inches away from her. "Hold on." With all the power I could possibly muster I pushed myself along with the man off the ground up onto my hands and knees. I barely made it a foot forward before collapsing when he got off me for a millisecond just to come crashing down on me again. He must've used all of his bodyweight and I gasped for the air that had been knocked out of me. The man climbed on top of me and sat down on my back to hold me in place. "Kim!" I was closer to her now though and I knew I would be able to reach her. Extending my arm I was just about to grab her when a hand took hold of my wrist, forcing it back. "No, Kim." I struggled to get my arm free. Realizing that it probably wouldn't work I let him pull it back and quickly reached out my other arm instead. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough and before I had a chance to even touch her, the tall man grabbed that arm too. He forcefully pulled it towards him and bended it before pinning it against my back, just above my other arm that was already held there. I squirmed beneath him, desperately trying to break away from him, but he was unbelievably strong and all I managed to do was to get myself exhausted. I refused to give up though. _

"_Let go!" I exclaimed. Of course he didn't obey my command. All he did was to hold on to me harder, which only made me fight harder. _

"_Jack!" Kim sounded so scared it broke my heart. _

"_Kim, hold on!" I answered, sweat beading on my forehead. "I'm coming." _

_I could feel him shifting his grip of my arms, so that he could hold them in place with only one hand. But even then he was too strong for me to get away from. _

_In the corner of my eye I could see him picking up a rock with his free hand. _

"_No, no!" I shook my head, beginning to realize what he was about to do. "Don't!" Tears formed in my eyes as I saw him raising the rock in the air. I struggled like crazy, thinking this couldn't be happening. "Please no!" _

_To my devastation he threw the heavy rock through the air, aiming it at my Kim. It landed right on her hand, causing a sickening noise as the bones were crushed. She let go of the tree root she'd so bravely had held on to and with a piercing scream she fell._

"KIM!"

I shot up straight in my bed and looked around in the darkness for her, for a moment almost believing that I'd fallen into the black hole along with her.

"Kim…" I mumbled through the choking ache in my chest. My heart was beating ridiculously fast and a feeling of being trapped suddenly washed over me. I began to kick, trying to get rid of the bed sheets that clung to my sweaty body. Once they were off I was able to think and I realized to my relief that it was all just a dream. I was in my room, Kim was sleeping safely in our guest room and Mark that maniac was locked up somewhere, not being able to hurt me anymore. I panted trying to get my breathing back to normal.

This wasn't the first time I'd been having these kinds of dreams and I knew fully well that it was all in my head, but they affected me in way that is hard to explain. In a sense they were memories, making sure that I would never forget the dreadful feelings. Neither the physical nor the emotional.

As usual, I was shaken and an unsettling feeling filled my guts. With the terrible images of Kim's hand being crushed and forced to let go playing inside my head it would be close to impossible to go back to sleep again. I rubbed my eyes trying to get rid of them. The darkness in my room began to feel very eerie and the anxiety was coming back. I got up and walked over to my window. From there I could see the southern part of the street running through our neighbourhood and also the Johnston's property quite clearly.

Even though I'd told Kim that she was right about me only imagining things, I still couldn't get rid of the thought of someone sneaking around outside, watching every move I made. As on cue a dark figure came into view. He'd come from the northern side of the street, that was hidden from me, so I couldn't exactly tell were he'd come from. For all I knew there was a possibility that he'd been walking around our house, inspecting it.

I instinctively took a step to the side, hiding myself behind the curtains. Never letting my eyes off the man, I watched him heading over to a car that was parked further down the road. Our neighbourhood is fairly small and I have a pretty good knowledge about everyone who lives here. That's why I became super alert at once, because I did know that no one here around owned a black Volvo like the one that was conveniently enough parked just outside of reach for that dim light of the street lanterns.

I tensed and took hold of the curtains that hung before me, afraid that they would disappear and reveal me otherwise. The man had almost reached the car when he suddenly turned around. That's when I knew…

I hadn't been imagining. He had certainly been watching me, for he lifted his gaze to the window I was standing in. He knew that was my room. He knew I was in there. I quickly hid my face behind the curtains, almost not daring to breathe.

"Jack?" I spun around quickly. Still clutching the curtains, I managed to get myself tangled up in them at the same time as I jumped back, hitting my desk that was placed next to the window. Not being able to find my balance, I fell rather ungracefully to the floor, bringing a few books that'd been lying on my desk along with the curtains down with me as I landed with a big thud.

"Oh my God!" Kim exclaimed, fumbling in the dark to find the light switch. "Jack, are you alright?" Turning the light on, she quickly spotted me under the pile of fabric and books. I squinted, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the bright light as I heard her approach me.

"I'm fine…" I mumbled, not really concerned about the crash I'd just suffered or the curtains I'd most likely destroyed and I started to get up. Kim helped me get untangled before hoisting me up onto my feet again. She kept holding on to me, her arms wrapt around my waist, probably afraid that I would fall back down again if she'd let go.

"What's going on?" She wondered and I suddenly remembered the dark clothed man that had been looking up at me. Quickly I looked out the window, just to find the man and the car gone. I frowned in confusion. "Jack?" I turned to her. Should I tell her? Maybe she'd think I'm going nuts…

"Nothing…" I said, deciding that I didn't need to tell her, at least not now. Besides there was a chance that she wouldn't believe me and I just didn't have the energy to go through that discussion again…

It looked like she was about to say something but changed her mind at the last moment. Leaning closer to me, she placed her head against my chest and hugged my waist a little tighter. I responded by snaking my arms around her and holding her close. Stroking her hair gently, I glanced down the street. How come he managed to disappear like that? I'd barely let him out of my sight for more than a minute and he hadn't seemed to be in much of a hurry.

I was slightly irritated actually that I had let him get away. If it hadn't been for Kim entering my room…The name Kim suddenly reminded me of something and I leant away from her slightly so that I could have a better look at her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. She gave me a weird look.

"You called for me." She said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh…" was my first response, realizing that I must've been talking in my sleep. "You heard?"

"Yeah…It was hard not to. You kind of screamed." I let my gaze fall. She must think I was crazy. I briefly wondered if mum and dad ever had heard me scream in my sleep. If they had, they hadn't told me…

A soft touch to my cheek cased me to quickly return from my thoughts.

"You ok?" Kim asked concerned, gently caressing my cheek.

"Yeah…" I nodded after a slight hesitation. "It was just a nightmare…"

Kim seemed to process my answer for a moment, before cocking her head to the side. The look in her eyes made me feel as if she could see right through me and I braced myself for whatever question I knew she was about to ask.

"What were you doing out of bed?" I stared at her blankly, not knowing what to answer at first.

"I just…" I sighed, debating whether I should tell her about the man or not. "I just couldn't go back to sleep." She nodded.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"About what?" I asked, feeling a knot turn in my stomach.

"About the nightmare." The images of the cabin, the green eyes and Kim falling through the ground flashed before my eyes, making a shiver run down my spine. I shook my head.

"No, it's ok." I answered deciding that I rather not talk about it because that would only make it harder to forget…

"Ok…then we should probably get back to sleep…" Kim said quietly, letting go of me to head back to the guest room. My chest suddenly contorted painfully as the fear spread through me again. The feeling surprised me and I jumped, quickly taking a hold of her. I pulled her into my arms and as soon as I could feel her warm body against mine the fear started to fade. Tightening my arms around her, desperately wanting the feeling to go away, I buried my face in her hair. Kim realized I probably wasn't going to let her go anytime soon and that it would be close to impossible for her to escape my strong hold. So she brought her arms around me once more, resting her head against my shoulder. I don't know why, but every time Kim would move away from me it felt as if she would disappear. Even though I knew in my mind that she wouldn't really leave me and that she would still be there in the morning when I wake up, I couldn't help but feeling as if my world would fall apart ever time we separated.

The exact opposite would happen every time she was close enough for me to feel her warmth or her breath against my skin, hear her heart beat or inhale her wonderful scent. Every painful memory, every dreadful feeling would simply go away and if I'd stay long enough within her embrace my heart would be filled with peace and I would be genuinely happy.

After several minutes of just holding each other I finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"Can't you stay?" Kim turned her head a little, eying the bed, still holding me tight. I knew what was going through her mind as she thought of what to answer. "Please. I swear I won't do anything. I promise." I said as an answer to her unasked question. Leaning away from her I gently cupped her cheek, urging her to look at me. "You can trust me. Please Kim... It'll help me go back to sleep." I said quietly. Her eyes were piercing right through mine as if she was trying to see if I could be trusted or not. "Please…"

A smile pulled on the corners of her mouth just before she stood up on her toes and placed a kiss to my lips. I raised my eyebrows, looking down at her surprised.

"Is that a 'yes'?" I wondered, feeling a little tingling in my tummy. Her smile grew even wider and she broke away from my embrace. Before I had a chance to get all worried again she took my hand and led me over to the bed. I smiled, knowing that she indeed intended to stay.

She straightened out the bed sheets that had been all messed up, probably from me twisting and turning during my nightmare. I helped her before turning the light off and climbing up in my bed with her. Letting Kim use my arm as a pillow, I snuck my other around her waist. Kim pulled the cover up over us, making sure that we wouldn't get cold. Bringing her arm around me, she snuggled her face into my neck and closed her eyes. I felt all fuzzy inside, having a hard time to comprehend that Kim Crawford, the most wonderful girl in the world was lying in my bed, in my arms, and I was lying in hers. For a moment I thought that I probably wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, being too busy enjoying the cosy feeling of her relaxed body next to mine. I didn't really care though. It didn't matter if I'd stay awake all night long as long as she was here.

"I love you" Kim mumbled, the words tickling my neck as she breathed them out. I smiled.

"I love you too." Gently kissing her forehead I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Feeling utterly happy, the mysterious man who'd been lurking around outside was totally forgotten.

If there's one thing that I regret about that night it would be not telling Kim about him. If I had then maybe we could've figured it all out together... Then maybe we could've stopped it all from ever happening…

* * *

**That was it. Hope you liked it even though there hasn't been much more than fluff to this story so far...haha Things will soon get a bit more interesting though...**

**I'll be updating asap.**

**Please don't forget to review. Again every review is like a boost of inspiration for me to keep on writing. These chapter wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for you guys. I don't think I would've ever been able to finish TnD without you. So thank you to everyone who has been reviewing and everyone who will be reviewing:)**

**See ya.**

**/MJ**


	4. Confidence Gained and Confidence Lost

**AN/ Hi everyone :) I'm really trying my best to write and update on a regular basis, but it's hard... especially since I'm trying to write two stories at once...**

**As always, thank you so much to all of you have reviewed. Your encouragement is what keeps me going:)**

**Here is finally the fourth chapter of this story. I hope you'll like it**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin' it.**

* * *

Chapter 4

**Confidence ****Gained**** and ****Confidence ****Lost**

Kim and I had arrived a bit late to school this morning. Due to all the things happening last night we hadn't exactly gotten the sleep that we needed and we'd had to force ourselves out of bed. The good thing about that though was that we'd been in a great hurry to make it in time, leaving me an excuse to run parts of the way to get here. I hadn't liked the fact that we'd had to leave the safety of our house and expose ourselves to whoever might be out there. Kim hadn't been making much fuzz about me taking off down the street, pulling her along. It had been necessary if we weren't going to be late, although I think she'd figured out the real reason to why I wanted to run…

Things had gone so much easier today. There weren't nearly so many people staring at me and things started to feel like normal again, even though I occasionally jumped ridiculously high, startled by a sudden movement or noise. But for the most time I'd felt as if nothing had ever happened.

Of course my friends helped a lot, making sure I wouldn't fall into the dark hole of depression and anguish as long as they were around.

"Eeew…what are those things?" Kim wrinkled her nose in disgust, while inspecting the food on her plate.

"I believe they're meatballs." Eddie answered rather confidently and shoved his fork into one of the brown meatball looking things. The ball was apparently too hard for a normal fork to be able to penetrate it though and it was sent flying across the table, escaping the pressure from the fork and hitting Jerry in the forehead.

"Ouch!" Jerry exclaimed, looking a bit confused at first. He soon saw the brown object lying on his tray where it had landed though and he narrowed his eyes.

"That's not a meatball." He confirmed. "That's a rock." I cracked a smile at the scene in front of me. It was so good to be back. I'd really missed my friends.

"I can't believe we have to eat this..." Milton complained.

"You don't have to." Kim said. "This is high school. It's not like we're in kindergarten any longer. No one here really cares if you clear your plate or not. Just leave them…"

"Hellooo" Milton rolled his eyes at her and held up his rather skinny arm, tensing it while rolling his hand into a tight fist. "Muscles like these don't build themselves. I need protein." Kim raised her eyebrows and shook her head slightly at his comment.

"I gotta be in shape if Philip is coming to watch today." Milton explained.

"Philip?" I frowned in confusion, feeling a sting of worry. I would join practice today after school. It would be the first time since I got back. There was a possibility –probably a pretty big one- that I would be a bit rusty after being away from karate for weeks, not to mention what all the abuse and neglect I'd been put through had done to my physical health… It would be hard for me as it was already to attend practise today. I definitely didn't need someone there watching my most likely pathetic attempts to regain my abilities as a martial artist.

"That's Milton's new dork friend." Jerry answered.

"He's not a dork. He's a genius." Milton defended. "But of course someone with your IQ wouldn't be able to tell the difference…" Jerry just shrugged, not seeming to be offended by the insult. "I met him last week on the science fair. We started talking" Milton continued. "Turned out he was really into martial arts although he's never gotten the chance to try it. He got super excited when he found out I was taking karate lessons. So I told him that he was welcome to come and visit our dojo."

"That's cool" I said, unsure if I meant it or not. I didn't mind the dojo getting a new member. Actually that was a good thing. It was just that I wished that he could've picked another day.

"Yeah…You should've seen the look on Rudy's face when I told him that he might get a new student…" Milton said excited.

"Um guys…" Kim interrupted. "We should get going. Our next class starts in about seven minutes." Suddenly realizing how little time we had left we immediately quit chatting and rose from our seats, except for Jerry. He never really cares if he's in time for class or not. He actually never really cares if he's attending the class at all to be honest.

The rest of us picked up our trays and left the table. However, this made Jerry jump up from his chair, almost knocking it over in fear of being left behind.

"Hey wait up!" He exclaimed and hurried after us.

As soon as we were out of the cafeteria I turned to Kim.

"I'm gonna go use the bathroom…" I excused. She nodded, giving me a concerned look.

"You alright?"

"Yeah…" I answered. Kim stopped and searched my eyes to make sure that I wasn't lying.

"Okay…" She said after a slight hesitation, deciding to believe me "I'll be waiting for you by our lockers."

With that we separated and went our different ways. I didn't like the idea of leaving her but nature called and I couldn't do much to control that…

On my way over to the boy's bathroom I had to constantly remind myself that both Kim and I could take care of ourselves. We both knew karate and half the school would be too scared of what we might do to them if they even thought about trying something. Besides it would only take a few minutes before I would be back by her side. What could possibly go wrong?

Being slightly annoyed by myself not being able to relax and stop worrying about everything I entered the bathroom. Much to my relief it was as good as empty. I hurried into one of the stalls and locked the door behind me. At the same time the lock made the clicking sound that told me that no one on the other side would be able to open it I breathed out. I felt safe and I could stop worrying about anyone trying to jump me. Now all I needed to do was to get this over and done with quickly so that I could get back to Kim before anything could happen to her…

I brought my hands up to my face, rubbing it. What the heck was wrong with me? Why couldn't my body just listen to my brain? I knew nothing was going to happen, I was positive on that. So why couldn't that stupid feeling urging me to run back to Kim -my safe haven- just go away?

I inhaled deeply, pulling myself together and trying to convince myself that being apart from her would actually do me good. It would help me regain my confidence, right...?

When I was done taking care of my business and about to unlock the door I heard someone entering the bathroom. Suddenly worried again I stopped in my tracks, listening carefully. Whoever was on the other side walked over to the stall next to the one I was in. Hearing the door close behind him I mentally scolded myself for being so paranoid. This was a school bathroom. Of course there would be other people around using it the way I just did...

Telling myself again that nothing was going to happen to me, I took a deep breath and gathered enough courage to unlock the door, trying my best to ignore the feeling that kept telling me that something wasn't right. Stepping outside I scanned the room. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. I shook my head and headed over to one of the sinks to wash my hands. Taking a look at myself through the mirror I made sure that I looked decent enough to show myself in public. However something else caught my attention. The bathroom stall that had just been entered slowly opened. I immediately tensed so much that I think I forgot to breathe. Quickly I spun around not wanting them to sneak up behind me. The very next moment the person revealed themselves as I instinctively took a step back, pressing myself up against the sink.

"Hey guys, look who's back!" The teen exclaimed. Frank's familiar voice would've normally annoyed me and I would've probably rolled my eyes at his silly attempt to intimidate me. But today was different. Today for the first time ever he really scared me. I wasn't sure that I would be able to take him let alone the other four members of the Black Dragon dojo who just entered the room. It'd been weeks since I fought somebody, if you didn't count my attempts to fight Mark, which had disturbingly enough ended in me almost getting killed…

I swallowed, I wasn't ready for this. I hadn't even taken up my practise at the dojo yet.

Frank must have sensed me worrying, even though I tried my best to keep a straight face and it made him even more confident than he normally would be around me.

"If it isn't Jack Brewer… I thought you'd left for good." He grinned as he stepped closer. I leaned slightly back against the sink. Before I would've come up with a good comeback, but at the moment my mind was busy, trying to find a way to get myself out of this.

"Actually…" one of the dragons spoke up. "I believe he was just visiting some relatives." I shot the guy a glance. So no one knew what had really happened to me. As to answer my thought another one spoke up.

"I thought he went missing." Everyone eyed him for a brief moment as a knot formed in my stomach. "Don't you guys read the news?" He wondered, raising his eyebrows. Frank looked with interest between the guy and me. I cringed ever so slightly, wishing I could just disappear.

"It's true." A third one said. "I saw it too. He was gone for a week or something and when they found him he needed to go to the hospital…" I swallowed, not liking the way they talked about me as if I wasn't there. I wanted to say something but I just couldn't find my voice. So many things flew through my mind. I'd been on the news?

A part of me wanted them to stop talking, but the other part wanted them to continue. It would be painful to hear them retelling the story that I'd had to live through and it would most likely trigger flashbacks and such, but I wanted to know how much information had gotten out to the public, hoping that it'd be as little as possible. The less people knew about everything that had happened the better. Frank turned to me with a smirk on his face, causing the knot in my stomach to turn, which created a wave of nausea rushing through me.

"Is that true? You really went missing and ended up in the hospital?" He said sounding amused. "What happened, Jackie? Did you get lost and couldn't find your way home?" He mocked, talking with a baby kind of voice that made the rest of the dragons laugh. "Did you fall and accidentally hurt yourself? Or did you…did you…" He was unable to continue as he started to laugh at his own 'jokes'. I felt hurt by their laughter and the want to just disappear grew stronger. Trying my best to hold my head high I could feel my inside starting to fall apart. "Or did you lose a fight against an old man!" Frank exclaimed through his laughing fit. Their laughter increased in volume making me feel like I would drown in them.

"That's none of your business." I said trying to sound braver than I was. Frank instantly stopped laughing and looked at me.

"Maybe not..." He said. "…but I liked this school much better without you around…" The rest of the dragons nodded in agreement as they closed in on me. "What do you say guys we send him back to the hospital?"

Fear rushed through me and I couldn't help but tremble slightly. Never breaking the eye contact with Frank I prayed that someone would come to my rescue. I was completely paralyzed, Frank being so close I could've reached out and touched him. He pulled back his fist just before sending it forcefully towards my head. That was when years of martial arts training kicked in and my body reacted more on reflex than on me ordering it around. I ducked under his extended arm and quickly stood up straight again on the other side of it, sending a kick to his stomach. He stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. The other dragons had frozen; looking a bit surprised and…scared?

"What are you waiting for?" Frank growled from where he sat on the floor holding his stomach. "Go get him!" The four guys who were blocking my way out suddenly lashed out at me, all at once. I jumped up on the sink to get out of reach for their kicks which turned out to be a mistake as the first one to reach me grabbed my leg, almost managing to pull me down. With adrenalin running through me I twisted my leg out of his grip before swinging my other leg at his head. My kick hit him and sent him back into one of his friends. The brief confusion it caused gave me enough time to jump down to the floor again, flipping in the air as I did, so that I faced them when I landed. 'Never turn your back on your enemies' like my grandfather always used to say.

My feet had barely touched the ground before the guy standing closets to me kicked at me. I easily blocked it and with the speed of lightning returned his gesture with a sidekick to his stomach. He fell backwards, almost bringing his friends who were behind him down with him. I felt a strange feeling of satisfaction, bringing them down one by one. When the forth guy to try to attack me that day threw his fist out I even smirked, quickly stepping aside while grabbing his wrist. I turned so that my back was against his chest and flipped him over my right shoulder. Four down only one to go…

Turning around I looked cockily at the last one standing. The boy met my eyes for a brief moment and I could literally see the colours drain from his face. After a slight hesitation he decided to run for the door. By then Frank had made it to his feet and I prepared myself for another round. He looked too scared to jump me again though.

"You're gonna regret this, Jack!" He threatened, pointing his finger at me. But for some reason I didn't find that intimidating. I'd just proven to both him and myself that I was still the better fighter of the two of us. My confidence was starting to come back and I loved it. It felt wonderful not feeling so vulnerable for once and I just smirked at him as he ran out the door with the rest of the dragons close behind.

I followed the moment after. Throwing a glance at the clock on the wall once I'd reached the hallway I quickly sprung alert.

Although my confrontation with Frank had done me good and I was actually grateful it happened it had cost me some valuable time and I had to hurry to my next class. Sprinting down the hallway, only stopping by my locker to get my books I was so focused on making it in time that I wasn't paying any attention to the things going on around me. Just after turning a corner I came to an abrupt stop as I bumped into a woman, dropping my books, loose papers scattered all over the floor.

"Oh…!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Sorry" I excused, quickly bending down to gather my things. Just great, I thought. Now Mr Parker is going to hand me a tardy slip…

"It's okay." I could hear the woman say as she reached down and picked up my note book. "You alright…Jack, is it?" She wondered. I frowned and looked at up at her. How did she know my name?

Noticing my slightly worried expression she gave me a smile and handed over the note book. "Here you go." I threw it a quick glance as I took it, realizing that my name was actually written on it, which explained how she knew it.

"Thanks…" I said, looking at her again. She seemed to be in her forties or something, her blond hair coming down in soft waves, just barely touching her shoulders. I was pretty sure I'd never seen her before, still that smile seemed familiar.

The bell suddenly rang telling me that I needed to get going.

"Gotta go…" I mumbled and took off running. To my relief I made it in time and was able to take a seat next to Kim just before Mr Parker started to speak.

"Where have you been?" Kim whispered.

"Long story…I'll tell you later." I mumbled back as I opened my book to page 314, following our teacher's instructions.

* * *

With a mixture of nervousness and excitement I grabbed my bag containing my GI. I had been to the dojo for a visit once, but I hadn't actually trained since my return. It's not that I hadn't wanted to. I loved karate and there was no doubt that I'd longed for taking it up again, I had just been afraid that it might trigger stuff inside of me that I wouldn't be able to control. Thankfully that fear had started to subdue after I'd taken down Frank and the gang of Black Dragons and I was now more eager than ever to get to the dojo.

Entering the living room I found my mother vacuuming after having to clean up some of the mess Kim and I had left from last night.

"I'll be leaving for the dojo now!" I almost shouted over the noise the vacuum cleaner made. Mum turned it off, smiling at me.

"Just give me a minute to get ready and…" She started, but I interrupted.

"It's okay mum. I'll walk." She looked at me and I could tell she didn't like the idea of having me walking out on the streets all alone after everything that'd happened. I would be lying if I'd say that I wasn't worried about that too and I would've gladly taken her offer any other day.

"You sure?" She wondered.

"Yes." I nodded. "Kim will be coming with me." A smile made it to my face by the mere thought of her. Kim; my favourite person in the entire world. I was looking forward to our walk together and I wanted to be alone with her for no greater purpose than the fact that it made me happy. When it was just the two of us, we could just focus on each other, something that I really enjoyed.

"…Okay…" Mum said after a slight hesitation. I gave her a reassuring smile and turned to leave. "Jack…" Stopping in my tracks I looked over my shoulder, waiting for her to go on. "Just call me if anything or anyone would…" She stopped in the middle of the sentence, giving me a worried look. I didn't need for her to continue, already knowing what she meant.

"Don't worry mum. I will."

With that said I left her to her cleaning. Behind me I could hear the vacuum cleaner starting again as I headed out the front door. Letting my eyes scan our neighbourhood, I slowly started to walk down the stairs leading down from our porch. Everything seemed to be like normal and there was no sign of the mysterious man from last night. Although leaving the safety of my house all by myself made me feel uneasy and the further away from it I went the worse the feeling got. Reaching the end of our yard I swung my bag over my shoulder and took off jogging down the street. I didn't want to take any chances by going too slow. The sooner I'd reach Kim's house the better.

Kim didn't live far from where I lived and in my pace it didn't take more than five minutes to get there.

* * *

Somewhere along the way to the dojo me and Kim lost track of time. Joking, laughing and just in general enjoying each others company we forgot to look at the clock which had resulted in us arriving a few minutes late.

"Sorry we're late." I excused as soon as we stepped inside and met our sensei's gaze.

"It's okay. Nice to finally have you back Jack." Rudy answered, smiling at me. "Now you two hurry to change into your GIs and we can get started." I nodded as we quickly walked over to the lockers next to Rudy's office, passing Jerry and Eddie who were already warming up on the mats.

Opening my locker I grabbed one of my green Bobby Wasabi tees'. The same strange feeling I'd experienced yesterday on my first day at school hit me again. It felt as if it had been an eternity since I was here and yet everything in my locker was exactly the way I'd left it, making it seem like it was only yesterday.

I closed the locker, looking over at Kim. My eyebrows immediately wrinkled in concern. Something wasn't right. I could tell by the way she stood completely still, barely even breathing. Her whole body was tense and all her attention was focused on something that she seemed to be holding in her hands. I couldn't really see what it was because the door to her locker was blocking my view.

"Kim?" She jerked startled, shoving whatever she was holding back into the locker before slamming it shut and turning to me with a forced smile. "You ok?" I wondered.

"Yeah" She said, her voice slightly high pitch. Obviously she was hiding something. I was just about to ask about it when Milton decided to walk in and interrupt.

"There you two are." He said when he spotted us, making us turn around and face him. He was accompanied by a rather small guy, with hair lying in neatly combed waves upon his head and clothes that were way too expensive for me to even look at. Not that I would ever care to wear chinos, shirts and sweater vests like that... Things like that were only worn by Milton and his kind of dorky friends and you would've thought that this kid would've been just like the rest of them; however there was something about him that was different. There was a lot more class to him than the others and to be honest I felt a little like I was the underdog here. Just by one look I made the assumption that he must come from a very wealthy family. I don't know why but I couldn't help but think that this guy would be able to offer a lot more to my friends and a sudden fear of them leaving me for him hit me.

"This is Jack and Kim." Milton gestured towards us. "They're the black belts I was telling you about." The guy nodded, looking at us with interest. Milton then turned to us. "Kim, Jack this is my new friend Philip."

* * *

**I really hope I don't bore you guys out with this story...I wasn't completely satified with this chapter, but I think it was good enough... There's gonna be some more interesting things happening soon though, I promise:)  
**

**Since I got someone asking for the sneak peeks to come back, I've decided to make one for this chapter. So all who reviews gets a sneak peek of chapter five. For those of you who wants to review but doesn't want a sneak peek; just tell me in your review that you don't want one.**

**And as always the more reviews the faster I write;P **

**Ok I think that's all,**

**Thanks for reading:)  
/MJ**


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